Many owners of personal computers are faced with the problem of strong noise that comes from the bowels of the system unit. Those users who work around the clock and interfere with their sleep are especially affected by it. Loud operating sounds are usually caused by fans. Such noise can and should be fought.
Causes of noise
The main sources of noise inside the system unit are fans. The rotating blades cut through the air and create noise. The humming bearings also contribute to the disturbance of the silence. Noisy operation can be caused by wear of the rubbing parts of the fan.
If the computer is operated in a dusty environment, it becomes clogged with dirt. Dust adhering to the blades can imbalance the impeller, resulting in runout, vibration and noise.
CPU or video card heatsinks clogged with densely matted dust dissipate heat worse, and the system increases the fan speed. This leads to an increase in the volume of the sound of the operation.
Quite often the reason for the appearance of noise is the savings on the case of the system unit and fans. As a result, the budget case, made of very thin metal, vibrates a lot, and the cheap coolers produce the strongest hum.
Some motherboard manufacturers do not equip their products with an automatic fan speed control system. It must monitor the temperature and change the impeller speed depending on the load. If it is not there, the computer is noisy both in idle and at peak times.
How to reduce computer noise
First you need to visually assess the condition of the fans and cooling radiators. If they are covered with dust and clogged with dirt, they must be thoroughly cleaned. The fins of the radiator should be vacuumed, and the fan blades should be wiped.
If the computer fan makes noise after an extended period of time, it may need preventive maintenance. Remove it from its seat. There is a sticker on one of its sides. Removing it reveals the fan shaft in the center of the case.
Put one drop of liquid machine oil on it and wait a few minutes. This is necessary to evenly distribute the oil over all rubbing surfaces. Replace the fan.
If budget fans were originally installed in the case, attempts at revision will not make sense. Better to replace them with better quality models.
If your computer's motherboard does not support adjusting the speed of the system fans, you can purchase a special device - reobass. It is installed in the front panel of the system unit and allows you to adjust the speed of each fan.
There is an easier and more budgetary way to adjust the speed of coolers. These are special thermistors that are included in the fan circuit. Their resistance changes depending on the temperature inside the system unit.
As the temperature rises, the drag decreases and the blade speed increases. As the temperature decreases, the resistance increases, which leads to a drop in the impeller speed and a decrease in noise.
You can change the active cooling system to a passive one that works without fans. In such systems, special heat pipes are used, which dissipate heat quite efficiently. The main disadvantage of such systems is that they are rather bulky and require a spacious case.
Quite often the reason for the noise is the case of the system unit. When buying, try to choose heavy cases made of thick metal. Due to sufficient rigidity and large mass, vibration will be damped.
To combat vibration, you can use special mounts for case fans. These anti-vibration mounts are usually made of soft rubber or silicone.
Even if all the fans in your system unit are completely silent, the hard disk and optical drive will still be audible. This kind of noise can be reduced by soundproofing the enclosure. It can be pasted over from the inside with a special sound-absorbing material.
